Published on: 26 May 2017

According to the Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK will need an extra one million additional engineers and technicians by 2020. Yet as this report makes clear, our schools contain sizeable numbers of children who should have a natural affinity for science and engineering but who aren’t performing as academically as they could because poor verbal skills are masking their talents.

The report is based on an analysis of data from the Cognitive Abilities Test, and it seeks to explain what steps teachers can take to redress the balance to ensure these ‘hidden talents’ don’t remain hidden for long.